The Cleveland Browns surprised a lot of fans when they drafted Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, given the fact that star tight end David Njoku is still in town and getting better by the year.
Fannin’s fit has begun to make more sense as his versatility has become more and more apparent since camp started, and head coach Kevin Stefanski recently hinted at what his role within the offense could be.
Stefanski recently spoke about Fannin during a press conference at camp, and he pointed out how he lined up everywhere at Bowling Green and said that is something he handles well.
“The reason why we identified Harold in the draft—I thought they did a great job at Bowling Green, how they used him. They really lined him up all over, and that’s something that you can only do with being intelligent and working very hard. We’re putting a lot on his plate and asking him to play multiple positions, meaning you’re going to have multiple jobs. He’s handling all of it very well,” Stefanski said.
lots of exciting development already from @fannin_jr pic.twitter.com/FZbVbdiW9I
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) July 26, 2025
There should be plenty of instances where Njoku and Fannin are on the field at the same time in 2025, especially considering how the Browns went into the offseason needing to make upgrades at wide receiver and didn’t do anything outside of giving Diontae Johnson his last chance in the NFL.
Rookie tight ends weren’t typically relied upon much throughout NFL history, but recent draft picks such as Kyle Pitts, Matt LaPorta, and Brock Bowers became major contributors as rookies due to their pass-catching prowess.
Fannin has that kind of skill set, and it will be fun to see how Stefanski is able to get creative in his deployment of both him and Njoku.
With Njoku also heading into free agency after this season, it is also wise to have Fannin in town as a contingency plan if he signs elsewhere.
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